Amusement device



April 27 1926.

1,582,81 l M. D. ADLER l AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed o'ct. 3o; 1925 Amm'fr icnted Apr. 27, 1926.

' UNETED STAT MILTON D. ADLER, yor NEW YORK, N. Y.-

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

Application led October 30, 1925. Serial No. 65,757.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MILTON D. ADLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Amusement Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an amusement device, and especially to a manually operated device having means for guiding a ball down a trackway and projecting it into space at such an angle as to permit it to be caught in a receptacle on the device by the exercise of manual dexterity.

More particularly, the invention relates to an amusement device embodying a rigid trackway having an upwardly curved end portion adapted to project a ball or other object into space in directions permitting` it to be caught in a cup on the device.

A feature of the device is a trackway so formed as to permit of extension and contraction, this adjustment being secured by the use of telescoping sections normally frictionally held against relative longitudinal movement but adapted for such movement to lengthen or shorten the trackway upon the application of pressure manuallj7 exerted therebetween.

Another feature relates to an improved form of trackway, it being so formed up out of sheet material as to provide great rigidity even when material of thin gauge is ein-- ployed.

Other features relate to catching and impounding means for a ball projected from the device, to means for releasing the ball from the impounding means, to means for limiting mvement of the releasing means relative to the impounding means, etc.

The foregoing and other features of the invention not hereinbefore referred to will be hereinafter described and claimed and, are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device Fig. 2 is an upper plan view, and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing, 2 designates a trackway, herein illustrated as made up of a main, substantially straight section 3 and an upwardly curved section 4:, though said trackway may be of asingle piece` of material or of any desired number' of sections,

' A handle 5, shown secured to the under face of the trackway, permits manipulation of the device. rlhis handle may be otherwise placed, if so desired. The upper faces of sections 3 and 4 are so formed as to provide a retaining guideway for a ball 6 traveling on the trackway.

Attached to the trackway section 3 or forming an integral portion of the same is a cup 7 having a greater diameter than that of the ball 6 in order that said ball may be caught therein. While said cup may have continuous sides, l have shown a cup having an opening 8 adjacent the trackway, said opening being of somewhat greater diameter than the ball 6 in order that said ball may pass therethrough and thus obviate the necessity for its removal from the cupto the trackway'whenever it is desired to op- 7 erate the device. Y

To prevent the ball 6 from escaping prematurely from the cup 7 into the trackway section 3, in the device as illustrated, a

sleeve 9 is provided surrounding said cup. 5

t will be seen that this sleeve 9 is adapted for vert-ical movement on said cup 7 to cover or to uncover the opening 8, to retain the ball in the cup or to permit its ejection therefrom. A pin 10 on the sleeve 9 is adapted for coaction with the slot 11 in the cup 7 to limit relative movement of said members 7 and 9.

The sections 3 and 4 of the trackway will ordinarily be formed from sheet material, preferably sheet metal, in such a way as to provide a trackway of a cross section adapted to secure extreme rigidity even with metal of thin gauge. Such a traokway may be secured by forming up a strip of sheet metal by first turning up the two sides 12 and 12 thereof at right angles to the central portion 13 of the strip, and then turning the edges 14 and 111 of such sides 12 and 12 to form acute anglesthereto, this conformation at the same time' providing a ball-retaining channel.

Obviously, the device may employ other objects than the ball illustrated for launclr ing into space, such, for example, as an auto- 1 mobile, with or wit-hout passengers, a wheeled airplaine, etc., the trackway and landing receptacle being modified to suit the requirements in each particular case.

To operate the device, the handle 5 is grasoed and the ball 6 placed on the trackway 3 and against the cup 7 8. By depress ing the end d of-the device the ball or other object to be launched runs down the track-- way, is directed upward by the curved section 4l, and is projected'therefrom and falling is caught, when the device is handled dexterously, in the cup 7. By raising the sleeve 9 the ball may return to the traclrway 3, whereupon said sleeve may be allowed to fall to cover the opening 8, thus restoring the ball to position for another play.

Vhat I claim is:

1V. A device of the class described, comprising a rigid trackway having a relatively long straight portion and an upwardly curved portion at the end of said straight portion, a handle thereon, a cup adjustably mounted on said traekway, and adapted to be positioned in diiferent positions with relation to the upwardly curved portion thereof, and a ball adapted to travel along` said trackway when it is tilted and to be projected therefrom and caughtin said cup.

2. A device of the class described, comprising a rigid trackway of variable length composed of a straight section and a section upwardly `curved at its enter end and slidable relativelj7 to said straight section, a handle on said trackway, a cup mounted on the trackway, and a ball adapted when the traekway is tilted to travel therealong and be projected therefrom and caught in said cup.

3. A device of the class described, comprising a rigid trackway composed of a relatively long straight portion of variable length and an upwardly curved portion, a handle on said trackway, a cup mounted on one end of the straight portion of the trackway said cup having an opening therein acing the upwardly curved portion of said trackway, and a ball adapted when the track-way is tilted to leave said cup and travel along said trackway, be projected therefrom and be caught in said cup.

l. A device of the class described, com-` prising a trackway composed of a straight portion and an upwardly curved portion, a handle on said trackway, a cup mounted on the trackway, said cup having an opening therein facing said trackway, a ball adapted is tilted to leave said cup and travel along,y said traekna.Y and be projected therefrom and be eangrhtin the cup, and a sleeve slidaible on said cup and normally covering, said opening therein and adapted to be raised to uncover the opening to permit the ball to leave the cup and reenter the trackway.

5. A device of the class described, comprising a trackway composed of a straight portion and an upwardly curved portion, said trackway being` provided with a manipulating handle, a cup mounted on the trackway, said cup having an opening therein facing aid trackway, a ball adapted when the device is tilted to travel alongthe trackway and be projected therefrom and `caught in the cup, a sleeve slidable on said cup adapted to be raised to uncover the opening in the cup or lowered to close it, and means for limiting the upward movement of the sleeve.

6. A device of the class described, eemprising a curved trackway, a manipulating handle therefor, a cup mounted on the traelway, said cup having 'an opening' therein, a ball adapted when the device is tilted to travel along the trackway and be projected therefrom and caught in the cup, a sleeve slidable on said cup adapted to be raised to uncover the opening therein or lowered to close it, and a. slot in said cup adapted to cooperate with a pin on said sleeve to limit upward lmovement of the sleeve.

" A device of the class described, comwhen the device prising a rigid trackway formed from a strip of sheet material by turning` up the two sides thereof at right angle to the central portion and then turnine' the edge portions of said sides inwardly to form acute angles with said sides, a manipulating` handle for the device, a cup mounted on the trackway, and a ball adapted to travel therealong when it is tilted and to be projected therefrom and caught in said cup.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 19th day of October, A. D. 1925.

MILTON D. ADLER. 

